If you’re considering escaping to Italy not only for art and architecture, food and wine, history and culture – but to progress your knowledge of Italian – look no further than the little known region of Molise. Most people haven’t heard of it, including some Italians, and there’s a joke that claims “Il Molise non esiste…” Not true. It’s a…

In the hills of Alto Molise, in Agnone,Mercedes rises at 3.30 to prepare loaves for the wood fired oven, using logs from her woods, and grain from her fields. The pane casereccio of her childhood was nothing like modern bread, even from the best local bakers. Using methods traditional in her family, alternating crops, using animal ‘sterco’ (manure, no chemicals)…

We asked Helen to tell us why the programme Live & Learn in Agnone was crucial for her to learn Italian. First thing you do when you arrive back in Agnone? Wander up to the Caffe Letterario in the centro storico to see friends – like sisters Ilenia and Luciana who work there – and always have a welcoming hug…

Way off the beaten track, nestled in the Apennine hills in Molise, is the little town of Agnone, home of my ancestors. Here, our family have been making bells for the Popes for over 1000 years in the world’s oldest bell foundry. This is a rural community, not of contadini, but of world-class artisans. At one time in the early…

Here in Agnone, Alto Molise since ancient times, the shepherds of the Apennines have been moving their herds along the tratturi, the wide tracks that weave through Abruzzo and Molise down to the plains of Puglia. This seasonal migration is called la transumanza – which translates as crossing the lands – a constant search for better grazing in the changing…

..in a country full of tourists and English speaking waiters, it is a great treat to find such an authentic and unspoilt place.. None of the Italian visitors whom we joined around the table at Agriturismo di Santa Lucia had ever been before, or knew anyone else who had! They marvelled at what they had discovered, and in a country…

Maria has a soft voice and a very easy manner, nothing seems to stress or worry her. Even though she is planning a wedding for her daughter in 3 weeks, we are welcomed in and offered cakes and coffee around the large table before getting started. Maria is unable to sit still and if she is sitting, her hands are…

On the beautiful Adriatic coastline shared by Molise, Abruzzo and Puglia, lies the “La costa dei Trabucchi’: here large wooden platforms rooted to the rocks jut out into the sea. The arms of the trabucco or trabocco hold a narrow fishing net, il traboccetto. A complicated series of winches is used to lower and raise the net, literally catching the fish…

Still today in the hills of Molise, and particularly in Agnone, the old tradition of la serenata is alive and well. In days gone by when a young man had set his sights on a particular girl and felt he had a chance of being accepted, he would serenade below her window, encouraged and supported by other local lads and…

Doing some dedicated research on the ancient town of Isernia, about 30 minutes away from Agnone, our base at Live and Learn Italian. I always knew Isernia was there, not least to use the train station, but I had not explored the old town until last summer. It was a revelation – originally settled over 700,000 years ago, it then…

Best Schools of Italian in Italy

Follow me on social media

Instagram

When you learn a language it’s good to have different tools – learning a language using songs, videos and films is relaxing and fun, and can help you to enjoy the learning activity. You’ll find that you can memorise the exercise much more quickly than with a written grammar exercise.
Do you like my blog? Any tips to improve? Drop me an email